Sonic: Fractured future
by Speedhog58
Summary: There was once a world, a world where Shadow the hedgehog sacrificed himself to stop the space colony ark from destroying the world bellow and saved millions, this is NOT that world...
1. Sayonara, Sonic the hedgehog

THERE ARE THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF MULTIVERSES THROUGHT TIME AND SPACE, ALL OF THEM CONTAINING A NEAR INFINITE NUMBER OF REALITIES

BUT YOU HAVE ONLY EVER FOCUSED ON ONE OF THESE WORLDS, A WORLD THAT HAS DOZENS OF COUNTERPARTS WHERE EVENTS UNFOLDED DIFFERENTLY

THIS IS ONE SUCH WORLD

AN ALL TOO FAMILIAR SCENE PLAYS OUT AS THE SPACE COLONY ARK BLAZES TOWARDS THE PLANET BELOW, ALL WOULD BE LOST IF IT WERE NOT FOR 2 GLIMERS OF HOPE THAT STAND BETWEEN MOBIOUS AND DISASTER

Sonic: No way we're letting THAT through!

SONIC AND SHADOW BOTH STRUGGLE RELENTLESSLY TO PUSH THE ARK BACK INTO ORBIT WHILE BEING SIMOTAINIOUSLY BURNT BY THE HEAT OF RE ENTRY

Shadow: It's not slowing down!

Sonic: Darn! That lizard thing gave it too much of a kickstart! WE CAN'T STOP IT!

AS SHADOW PUSHES AGAINST GRAVITY WITH EVERY OUNCE OF STRENGTH THE REMENANTS OF HIS EVIL PHYCKE RETURNS TO HAUNT HIM

Evil Shadow: (in Shadow's mind) Why are you trying to delay the inevitable? The humans DESERVE punishment!

Shadow: (thoughts) Shut up!

Evil Shadow: (in Shadow's mind) It's ironic how history repeats itself huh? Everyone on the ark is about to die and there is NOTHING you can do about it…

Shadow: (thoughts) No…

Shadow: NOT THIS TIME!

SHADOW'S INHIBITOR RINGS SHATTER AS AN AURA OF PURE CHAOS AROUND SHADOW BEGINS TO HERALD HIS FULL POWER

Shadow: You ready?

Sonic: I'm ALWAYS ready!

SONIC THEN ALSO EXPLODES WITH ENERGY BEYOND HIS LIMITS

Shadow: CHAOS!

Sonic: CONTROL!

THE TWO HEDGEHOGS UNLEASH BURSTING BEAMS OF ENERGY UPON THE FALLING SPACE STATION, SLOWLY CONSUMING IT IN LIGHT

SHADOW'S EYES BEGIN TO SQUINT, SLOWLY PUSHING HIM INTO UNCONSIOUSNESS BEFORE HE FEELS A HAND UPON HIS ARM

Sonic: Take care of everyone, okay?

SHADOW DISAPPEARES IN A FLASH OF GREEN LIGHT AS SONIC'S PROTECTIVE GOLDEN AURA BEGINS TO FADE

TIME SEEMS TO SLOW DOWN AS SONIC'S NOW VULNERABL FORM BURNS AND FALLS TO THE POINT WHERE HE CAN BEGIN TO SEE THE SKY

Sonic: (thoughts) Funny, didn't think it would end like this, couldn't have gotten this far alone though…Tails, Amy, Knuckles…

AS SONIC'S VISION BEGINS TO FADE, HE SEE'S THE FLASH OF THE ARK REAPPEARING IN ORBIT

Sonic: (weakly) You guys are the best…

MEANWHILE, BACK ABOARD THE ARK

Amy: They DID it!

Knuckles: YEAH! Way to go guys!

Tails: That was close one!

Eggman: I-I'm still alive…

Rouge: Feels good to be breathing, where did they go?

SHADOW WALKS IN THROUGH THE OBSERVATION ROOM DOOR

Rouge: THERE you are…

Knuckles: You ACTUALLY did it!

Amy: Hey wait a minute-

Tails: Where's Sonic

Knuckles: Probably planning some dramatic entrance, right?

SHADOW REMAINS SILENT, EVERYONE'S EYES ARE ON HIM

Tails: ...no

2 HOURS LATER

SHADOW IS THE LAST IN THE ROOM, HE FACES THE WINDOW

HE REMAINS SILENT

REMOVES HIS LAST TWO INHIBITOR RINGS FROM HIS LEGS

Shadow: You are the ultimate lifeform, I am a fake

HE PLACES THE TWO RINGS ON THE WINDOW SILL

HE WALKS TOWARDS THE EXIT

Shadow: You win


	2. Old rival

SIX MONTHS AFTER THE ARK WAS RETURNED TO ORBIT THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD HAD RETURNED TO NORMAL AND THE NEAR DISASTER WAS BUT A DISTANT MEMORY, BUT NOT EVERYONE KNEW WHAT HAD REALLY HAPPENED UP BEYOND THE ATMOSPHERE AND THOSE WHO DID…THEY HAD INDEED CHANGED…

Things have gotten pretty quiet, very quiet.

I can't believe it that people are just acting like nothing ever happened, but then again, with GUN covering everything up do they even KNOW what happened? Eggman hasn't been seen in months, so god knows what he's planning, that bat woman seems to have lost her ego too, guess she has a conscience after all huh.

I haven't heard from Tails in weeks, it all got a lot harder once he gave up on denial…he started lashing out, blamed lots of people like GUN, Eggman, Shadow, himself…I should probably go find him soon before he does something he'll regret, Amy's tried to move on but from what I've heard she's not coping well and has resorted to online dating, I guess she spent so much time chasing you that she doesn't know what else to do.

Shadow, he just completely vanished off the face of the earth, whether it's because of grief or GUN's worldwide manhunt for him I don't know, I don't know what to THINK of him either, he saved the world…but he caused the emergency in the first place and it got you killed, maybe it's best NOT to think about it.

And then there's me, I'm sorry…you introduced me to society and got me off that island despite everything I did and you trusted me, you trusted me like I'd been there from the beginning, and how do I pay you back? By getting tricked into fighting you over and over again, I'm sorry I never trusted you in return.

When I first met you I punched you in the face and threatened to kill you and now here I am placing a letter on top of a grave that we never even got a body to bury in.

I guess what I'm trying to say is…I miss you man, we all do.

-Knuckles


	3. Passing the torch

IT'S SUNSET, TAILS IS SITTING ON THE SIDE OF A CLIFF STARING OFF INTO THE DISTANCE WITH THE TORNADO PARKED NEARBY, KNUCKLES WALKS UP TO HIM

Knuckles: So this is where you've been huh?

TAILS REMAINS SILENT

Knuckles: Look, I know it hasn't been easy for you, it hasn't been easy for anyone…

Tails: No one else knows…

Knuckles: You know what I mean.

Tails: Yeah, I do.

SILENCE

Knuckles: Well, I…guess it's good that you've finally gotten outside, I mean…you spent so much time in your workshop trying to figure out if he survived and…

TAILS GLANCES BACK AT KNUCKLES

Knuckles: Sorry…

Tails: It's okay, I guess I had to accept it at some point.

Knuckles: So, ugh…you heard the news?

Tails: What news?

Knuckles: Eggman's apparently building a fleet of airships to try and take over the world.

TAILS SLOWLY GETS UP, STILL STARING INTO THE DISTANCE

Tails: How big?

Knuckles: Hard to say, more than the Egg carrier though, that's for sure.

Tails: Whoa…

Knuckles: I know, what do we do?

SILENCE

Tails: What would Sonic do?

Knuckles: Knowing him, he'd probably charge the damn thing without a plan and blow up everything with Eggman's name on it.

TAILS SLOWLY TURNS AROUND TO FACE KNUCKLES, HE SMILES

Tails: Sounds like a plan.


End file.
